Gaming Case

A solid gaming case or just a solid case in general is absolutely great to work with.

It's rigid, it does not flex or bow, it feels strong, not flimsy. The holes all line up properly. There's no burrs, or sharp edges.

A cheap case is exactly the opposite of a well constructed case. A cheap case makes building your own computer a miserable, frustrating experience.

When buying a Case:

1. Cooling: cheap cases do not come with adequate cooling. You will generally have to upgrade the fans. Not all cases come with fans, generally it is assumed you will want to choose your own. Quality cases are built with cooling as a factor. Air flow paths, how components are placed make a difference. Some quality cases are prepped for those who prefer liquid cooling to the traditional air flow (fan) cooling.
2. Front panel connectors: If it doesn't come with the ones you want, do a port extender in an open external bay drive.
3. Motherboard form factor: ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX.
4. Physical Size (type/footprint): desktop, full tower, micro tower, mid tower, mini tower, server, or slimline.
5. Price: is always a factor that relates to build quality and materials (aluminum or steel) used. Even quality gaming LAN party portable PC made with aluminum are stiff and tight, unlike cheaply made ones.
6. PSU: With or without, and if with whether the PSU has a proprietary form factor (avoid that if possible). PSU are generally not included in higher-end in cases.
7. Quiet Technology: Sound panels, dampening fields can be added using a third party vendor if your chosen case does not address noise and it's an issue for you.

Cases that are great to work with include these brands:

1. Antec
2. Cooler Master
3. Lian Li
4. Silverstone
5. Thermaltake

Tips:

Sure there are a number of other gaming cases on the market. If you are buying online and really do not have any idea of what brand to choose from, I strongly suggest you try one of the ones listed here.

If you choose to buy a cheap case instead, don't worry we've all been there at one point or another. Just be very careful and very patient. Also, realize you may end up having to bend the case in odd ways to get holes to line up. Just deal with it as best you can, and budget for a better quality case asap.

Tool-less entry and motherboard trays are great features.

Larger fans move more air and make less noise.

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